loud snap now clunking

[sco99888]

hi all,
Yesterday when i came back from lunch at work i was out side having a cig and all of sudden i heard this really loud snap-breaking glass sound,i was a good 50 feet away and it startled me,well whe i was going to leave now there is this *gung-spring sound* and my car now pulls to the left when driving,if i am at normal speed no noise in turning only at slow turns like parking spots and left turns.when it makes the noise i turn the wheel left,then when i turn it back to the right make the noise again.i just dont know what would break to cause such a loud noise.the car was parked if i did not mention that.

[Archon]

Have you checked to see if you perhaps broke a spring? It would seem unusual just sitting there, but is worth checking.

[sco99888]

i was out side with one of my co workers and he thinks it is the strut or spring,what ever it was it was really loud when it broke,i did hit a huge pot hole sunday afternoon but it was on the passanger side.i looked in the wheel well and it looks like the spring is crooked,i really can not tell though,also it looks like the space between the tire and the trim is smaller than the passanger side.

[Archon]

Certainly sounds like you broke a spring. You may have to jack the car up, allowing the wheel to drop to get a better look.

[sco99888]

ok,is that as far as it will go,do i have to worry about the car dropping down while i am driving?car still drives smooth no rattling or anything like that,i hit a couple bumps and it still felt normal.

[Roadrunner]

If it is the spring, I would not drive it or turn the wheel anymore than necessary.
When mine went, the spring got cocked at an angle. It was wedged between the shock tower and strut. It dented the side of the shock tower a little.

I had to use a spring compresser (and a few four letter words) to get the to get the spring back into position enough to be able to remove the strut assembly.

[sco99888]

got to look at the car today,when i turn the wheel the spring is moving about 1/4 of an inch and the noise i hear is the spring hitting the top of the wheel well,looks like it slid off the support on the top of the spring,round black plastic peice..any insight??

[Archon]

Can you get a picture of it? It sounds as if the spring has slipped passed the upper seat, and mount. It shouldn't be wide enough to do that, unless there is also a mount failure. If the spring broke, the rest of it may be able to slide over all of that.

[carl]

What happened with this? If you haven't already, pull out the strut assembly and see what gives. (Be careful with that spring if its really broken.)

One thing when you re-assemble it: the black molded plastic spring mount should seat around and grip the rubber ring in the bearing plate very snug. The spring mount should not fit so loose as to spin freely around the rubber in the bearing plate, but the rubber ring together with the mount should spin as a single unit. If not buy a replacement spring mount and matched bearing plate. Another very imperfect design. And when the spring mount is freely slipping over the rubber loosely and mashing into the bearing plate --cracks, noises, and damage happen.

I don't like the fact that manufacturers use that plastic black molded spring mount and have seen alot of them break, chip or crack, making the rubber bearing's true function virtually useless. I am still open to have an aluminum spring mount machined with a offset lip for seating the rubber bearing precisely, but $$$ to do it.